Thursday, July 25, 2019

Check This... Quentin Tarantino's 'My Best Friend's Birthday'

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My Best Friend's Birthday' is a black and white amateur film written by Craig Hamann and Quentin Tarantino and directed by Quentin Tarantino, while he was working at the now shuttered Video Archives in Manhattan Beach, California.

The project started in 1984, when Hamann wrote a short 30-40 page script about a young man who continually tries to do something nice for his friend's birthday, only to have his efforts backfire.

Tarantino became attached to the project as co-writer and director, and he and Hamann expanded the short script into an 80 page script. On an estimated budget of $5,000, they shot the film on 16mm over the course of the next four years. Hamann and Tarantino starred in the film, along with several video store and acting class buddies.

The original cut was about 70 minutes long but due to a fire only 36 minutes of the film survived.

Check This... is a feature showcasing what we at Flicks News consider essential short films to watch!